Cop Car
by NephilimEQ
Summary: Maria has cancelled on Michael, yet again, so Liz volunteers to spend the evening with him...and somehow, handcuffs end up becoming involved in it, as well. Read & Review! Love my reviewers!
1. Chapter 1

**A.N. - I would like to give credit to Keith Urban's song "Cop Car" for my story. The first time I heard it, I thought of Michael and Liz and couldn't get the idea out of my head until I had it written down. I'm working on the last couple of chapters now, so I hope that you enjoy it!**

* * *

**Cop Car**

Michael couldn't believe it. His one night off that week and Maria cancelled on him to go to a stupid music expo the next town over. He was starting to feel that they didn't really have an actual relationship; it was more of a mutual agreement between them that if neither of them had plans then they pretended to be a couple so that they could have a legitimate reason to go places together.

He threw down the phone into the cradle, glaring at it angrily, and then grabbed his leather coat and the keys to his most recent acquisition; a nineteen ninety-four black Toyota pick-up.

He drove over to the Crash Down, thinking that he could just grab a bite to eat. As he drove, he thought of how it was sort of pathetic that he was going to spend his night away from work _back_ at the place where he worked.

When he stepped inside, he gave a nod to Liz and then sat himself down at the counter.

As soon as Liz saw him enter she knew that something was wrong. He was supposed to be spending the evening with Maria.

She gave her dad a look and sidled up next to him and said, "Hey, dad…I think that Michael might need someone to talk to. Do you mind if I…?" He gave her a half smile and nodded, and she quickly moved over to him.

"Hey, Michael…are you okay? I, uh, thought that this was your night with Maria…"

He gave her a look.

"Yeah. Emphasis on the word _was_." He pulled out a napkin from the napkin holder in front of him and began to tear it into small pieces. "_Apparently,_ there's a music expo that she _had_ to go to, so I was put on the bottom of the list. As usual."

He couldn't keep the bitterness from his tone and Liz winced, but then leaned in and put her hand over his and said, "Hey, I get off in about fifteen minutes. If you want, I'll hang out with you for the evening."

He looked up at her in surprise and then gave her one of _those_ looks.

"Uh…what I'd been planning was more along the lines of something that a good girl like you would never do, Parker. It involves, uh, a little breaking of the law," he said, leaning in towards her, whispering into her ear, casting a wary glance around the diner, making sure her father didn't overhear.

She looked over at him, not bothering to move away, her mouth mere centimeters from his, and he was surprised to see a smirk on her lips.

"I might just surprise you, Guerin," she replied, her eyes sparking in a way he hadn't seen before. "In twenty minutes, we leave."

And with that, she pulled away and went back to busing tables, leaving Michael feeling slightly off balance. One of the things that kept his world from going completely crazy was the fact that Liz Parker was the straight-laced geek who was predictably predictable.

_Well_, he thought to himself, snorting in his head. _We'll see just how far she'll actually go…_

As soon as Liz got off of her shift, she quickly slipped upstairs to change her clothes. She had surprised herself when she hadn't backed down from Michael's offer. Breaking the law wasn't something that she should take lightly, but she knew exactly _why_ she had reacted that way.

She wanted to prove him wrong.

Liz was well aware of the fact that she was the good girl who never took unnecessary risks, and she knew that Michael was the one who held it against her the most, so she was going to take him up on his offer.

As quickly as she could, she shed her uniform and pulled out one of her jean skirts that her father didn't approve of and a large black t-shirt with the word "live" scrawled across it in loose, carefree cursive, just a few shades lighter than the shirt. She then dug around in the back of her closet and found the leather jacket that Maria had convinced her to buy several months earlier. She topped off the outfit with black boots that had been purchased at the same time as the jacket and tried to ignore the butterflies that rose in her stomach.

She was pretty sure that she would need this outfit to sell Michael on the idea that she would really be going through with it.

Liz then hastily ran a brush through her hair and darkened her eye shadow just a bit more than usual.

The good girl was gone.

Michael waited at the bottom of the back stairs, nodding over at Javier, who was manning the grill for the evening, and tried to think of how Liz was going to get out of their evening of breaking the law, because he knew that there was no way that she would actually go through with it.

He heard a sound and looked up…and tried to hide his reaction.

He had been expecting to see jeans, a sweater and her usual green coat. But what he got instead…

My god, he would never say it out loud, but the new look…well, it looked _damn_ good on her. Any other girl trying to do the tough act would have come off as being fake, like someone like Maria, but Liz Parker wore it effortlessly, as though it was made for her.

She reached the bottom of the stairs and looked up at him, a look from under her lashes that took him by surprise, yet _again_, and then she said, in a voice that seemed to spark something in him, "C'mon, Guerin…we've got some laws to break…"

Elizabeth Parker was no longer Liz, shy and studious schoolgirl.

She was simply Parker.

And it looked like Parker was out to play…and she was going to prove to Michael Guerin that she could risk it with the best of them.

* * *

**Part 1/?**


	2. Chapter 2

**2**

_We drove right past  
That no trespassing sign  
We sat on the tailgate  
And watched the planes take off_

Michael grinned as he saw the recognition in Liz's eyes as he drove along the dirt road just beyond the end of the Roswell Airport. He saw her eyes widen slightly, and he smiled and carefully pulled his truck past the "No Trespassing" sign, also noticing her breath seemed a bit more shallow.

Yeah, she was nervous.

Good. Maybe he could get some entertainment out of the evening, after all.

He then reversed the car and she looked over at him, confused as he turned the car so that the back of it was towards the runway. He rolled his eyes at her.

"Follow me, Parker," he said, throwing the truck in park and sliding out of the front seat. She did as he asked, and he smiled as he dropped the tailgate of the truck and then motioned for her to hop on up onto the edge.

She gave him another odd look as he joined her on the tailgate, but then leaned back into the empty space, staring up at the stars, hands tucked behind his head.

"Uh…Michael? What are we doing exactly?"

He looked up at her, saw her expression, and then sat up so that he was propped on his forearms and said, "Parker. This is the only law that we're breaking tonight. No drugs, no booze, just a little trespassing at the local airport so we can watch the planes take off."

She gave him a sheepish look and replied with simply an, "Oh."

And then she looked up at the sky. After a moment, she lay down next to him. They lay there in silence for a while, waiting for a plane to take off, until…

"I've never watched planes take off, before."

He smiled, and said, "Yeah, well, it's kinda cool. When you're this close to the runway, you can feel the engines vibrate against the ground and through the bed of the truck…when I see the planes, it makes me think…oh, you're gonna think it's stupid…"

She sat up and shook her head.

"No, promise I won't."

He sat up next to her, looking her in the eye, and then nodded.

"Alright. When I see the planes...they make me think that anything is possible. That I could get up and go anywhere in the world at any time and…do anything." He rolled his eyes as he heard how he sounded and said, "I know, it sounds stupid, considering everything, but-"

She cut him off.

"No, it doesn't."

He gave her a look, obviously skeptical, and then said, "Thanks, Parker."

They then simply sat there for a long time, a plane taking off in the process, and Liz suddenly felt what he'd been talking about…and she liked it. It was loud, but it was a great feeling that seemed to resonate in her bones. She lay back down in the bed of the truck and he joined her, both of them enjoying the time together.

The two of them rarely spent time together alone. In fact, now that Liz thought about it, it almost seemed that their friends conspired to keep it that way.

She guessed that it had something to do with the fact that the two of them were so different.

He was the rule breaker, she was the rule follower. He was the wild card, she was the steady ace in the hole. They were opposites in so many ways…but right at that moment, laying down watching the planes flying overhead, it seemed that they were alike in just the right ways.

Suddenly he said, "By the way, when's your dad expecting you home?"

At that, he could practically hear her bite her lip, and he was shocked when she said, "Uh…actually, he didn't give me a curfew tonight. For some reason he trusts you more than Max, and said that as long as I didn't come home drunk and as long as he didn't have to spring for bail money, he would be fine with it…"

There was a long pause, and then Michael let out a low laugh.

"Wow. That, uh, sort of gives you a lot of leeway, Parker…"

She turned her head and gave him a look, barely discernible in the light that spilled from the runway.

"This is _me_, we're talking about, Guerin…I'm not exactly a flight risk."

He laughed again and responded with, "Yeah, well, you're certainly giving me a run for _my_ money, tonight, Parker." Another plane took off and they stopped talking for a few brief moments. There was then a lull in the planes, and that was when he turned his head back to her and added, "By the way…I like the boots."

She smiled and nudged him in the side with her elbow.

They lay like that and continued to chat for nearly two hours, losing track of the time, enjoying each other's company more than they thought they would…

…and then they heard sirens.

They both sat up, their eyes wide, and then Michael looked at her and said, "Shit…"

_We thought we had all night  
There was no need to rush  
That's when those cops  
Came pulling up  
And I thought  
Man, ain't this some shit_

* * *

**Part 2/?**


	3. Chapter 3

**3**

_Your daddy's gonna kill me  
But if I survive tonight  
I wouldn't change one thing  
Baby, yeah  
I know it sounds crazy  
_

Liz looked over at Michael and saw him fumbling for his keys and she simply stared, not quite believing what was about to happen. She was about to get arrested. While they had been enjoying their time together, she had completely forgotten about the fact that they were trespassing.

It had been so easy to enjoy being with him. Putting her trust in him.

And now…her dad was going to have to post bail.

Michael, too, was aware of the fact that they were most likely about to be arrested, and yet he was still trying to find the right keys. Goddammit, it should _not_ take this long, he only had one car and one apartment! What the hell were the other keys on his key ring for?!

Liz finally managed to speak, but it came out in a broken stutter.

"M-Michael…we're…we're…are we going to be…a-a-a-a-"

"Arrested?" he supplied, his fingers still fumbling. She nodded. "Yeah, most likely, since I can't seem to find my damn car key!"

She hit him on the shoulder…and that was when he dropped the keys on the ground. In the dark. He moved, heard a clang, and quickly deduced that they had slid under the car.

Great. Just great.

Quickly, he dropped down to his knees and slid his arm under the truck, trying to find the keys, but his fingers scrabbled uselessly through the dirt, realizing that if they got caught that her dad was going to kill him. So much for trust.

Liz was silently panicking, praying to God that Michael would find his keys, because she could _not_ get arrested.

This wasn't happening. This wasn't happening.

_You were thinking that  
Running for it  
Would make a good story  
I was thinking you were crazy as hell  
_

But then she saw the cop cars getting closer and she grabbed at Michael's shoulders, pulling him up to a standing position and he looked at her in shock.

"_What_, Parker? Do you want to get out of here or not?"

Her eyes were slightly wild…and then he was shocked when he heard her say, "Let's just run for it, Michael." What? What had she just said? "C'mon, Michael…we can make it. We can make a break for it towards the airport, maybe hide near one of the hangars, we could do it…!"

"Parker…" He only paused for a second and then said, "You're crazy! Now I understand how you and Maria are friends…this is _exactly_ something that she would come up with, and, oh, by the way, there's no way in _hell_ that we could make it that far, Liz! We're getting caught, alright? It's not a huge deal…"

She glared at him.

"Not a huge _deal? _ Maybe not for _you,_ but if I get arrested this goes on my permanent record! Good bye, Harvard!"

He gave her a look and rolled his eyes, "I doubt that trespassing to watch _airplanes_ is going to keep you out of Harvard, Parker."

She glared at him again and then hissed out, "Well, I guess I'm going to have to educate you, _Guerin_…we're on _government_ property! We're trespassing on _government_ property! That's…that's possible prison time…"

He rolled his eyes and placed his hands on the hood of his truck, preparing himself for the inevitable.

Liz saw what he was doing and this time she was the one to roll her eyes. She had never thought that Michael Guerin would be someone who would give in so easily, and yet here he was, preparing himself to be frisked and cuffed.

She huffed out loud, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Your dad's going to kill me," he muttered under his breath and she let out a low laugh.

"You've got that right…"

And by that point, the cops were there, stepping out of their cars, and Liz groaned as they came over and said, "Hands on the truck! The both of you!"

The lights were flashing, and Liz simply did as was asked, shooting Michael a look that could kill as she put her hands next to his. He was not going to hear the end of it from her, _that _was for sure. This was supposed to be a night out, no huge risks, but instead, _this_ had happened.

An officer approached them, and then said, "Guerin…I should have known."

"Nice to see you again, Deputy Anderson," Michael politely replied, letting the man pat him down. He then calmly let him pull down his hands from the hood of the car so that he could slap his cuffs onto the teenager's wrists.

_Man, they weren't playin  
They sure threw those cuffs on quick_

"Who's the girl?" he asked as another officer approached Liz and started to pat her down as well, and she saw the Deputy's eyes go wide when he saw who she was. Of course he recognized her; _everyone_ in town knew who she was because of the family business.

"Liz Parker…well, I'll be damned! Now what's a girl like you doing out here with a guy like him?"

She rolled her eyes, but when she realized that her arms were being pulled down from the car and felt cold metal touch the skin of her wrists, she felt herself go into panic mode, and she began to struggle against the officer, not thinking about the consequences of her actions. All she could see in her mind's eye was her admissions into Harvard going up in flames because of one arrest, and she couldn't stomach it.

No, this could _not_ be happening to her. Not to _her!_

As she started to struggle, Michael looked over at her from where he had been calmly allowing the Deputy to show him to the back of the car, his eyes wide in shock at her violent reaction.

The officer got the cuffs on her, but she managed to get a foot up on the side of the truck and push her body against his and throw him off balance enough that she could get both feet back on the ground and she tried to make a break for it, but the officer gained back his equilibrium and grabbed her before she could go anywhere.

"Parker! What the hell are you doing?" Michael yelled, trying to get her attention, and her eyes snapped over to his and he couldn't believe what he saw.

_But there was somethin bout the way  
The blue lights were shinin  
Bringing out the freedom in your eyes  
I was too busy watching you  
Going wild child  
To be worried about going to jail  
_

The blue and red of the cop car's lights reflected across her face and in her eyes and Michael was suddenly seeing a side to her that he'd never seen before…and it was pretty amazing.

She was yelling incoherently and still struggled against the arms that held her, neither of her feet on the ground, forcing the officer to literally carry her to the car, her fighting him the whole way, shaking her head and violently resisting every attempt to make her settle down.

The officer finally managed to get her in the car and slammed the door behind her, looking over at the Deputy in shock.

"Are you sure that's Liz Parker?" he asked, shaking his head, and the Deputy nodded.

"Sure is, Officer Landon. I always knew she had some fire in her," he added as he escorted Michael to the same car, opening the back door and quickly, and none-too-gently, shoving him inside as he said, "But I didn't think she was one to break the law."

The door slammed shut.

Michael looked over at Liz, her hair a tangled mess, her eyes still a little wild, and said, "What the hell were you thinking, Parker?"

She looked down at her lap, obviously embarrassed, and after a moment she blew a strand of hair out of her eyes and looked up at him and said, "Still think I have a chance to get into Harvard?"

There was a long pause…and then he let out a loud laugh, and she looked at him, a slightly hurt look in her eyes, but then, after a few moments, she joined him, giggling in a way that he'd never heard before. Soon, their laughter slowly died down, and he finally managed to say, "Liz, I'm pretty sure they won't press charges for the trespassing, but you might have an issue with the resisting arrest part…"

She grinned manically and said, "That was kind of fun, though," and Michael just shook his head.

He didn't know what to say, so he simply nudged his shoulder against hers and she returned the gesture, doing the same to him, and then smiled at him again…and that was when it hit him.

Maria would have been panicking by this point and yelling at him and accusing him of not thinking, but Liz…even though she was upset, she was able to understand that it was okay and that sometimes these things happened.

And he realized, in that moment, that he loved her for it.

_And you were so innocent  
But you were stealing my heart  
I fell in love in the back of a cop car_

* * *

**Part 3/?**


	4. Chapter 4

**4**

_You tried to sweet talk 'em  
They didn't fall for it  
But I did  
You were on the left  
I was on the right_

The two officers got into the car, Deputy Sheriff Anderson sitting in the front passenger's seat with the door open wide.

Liz leaned forward in her seat…well, as best as she could with her wrists cuffed behind her back, and Michael watched in shock as she said, "Maybe you don't have to take us in…maybe…we could make an _arrangement_…"

From the suggestion in her tone, Michael and the cops knew immediately what she was insinuating, and he felt a part of himself take interest at her offer, even though it hadn't been directed towards him, at the same time wanting to laugh out loud at the fact that Liz Parker was trying to sweet talk the Deputy Sheriff himself!

The Deputy turned his head, saw her look, and rolled his eyes.

"Not gonna work, sweetheart."

In a huff, she threw herself back against the seat, wincing slightly when the cuffs dug into her wrists at the impact.

_I knew you didn't smoke  
When you asked him for a light  
And I laughed  
He got mad and slammed the door_

Michael wondered why they hadn't left yet, and then saw the Deputy lighting up a cigarette and realized that that was the reason why. Smoking wasn't allowed at the precinct; he had been there often enough times that he had the list of rules that hung on the far wall memorized.

Liz suddenly shocked him again as she said, "Hey, Deputy Anderson…can I have a smoke?"

He glared back at her, and barked out, "Landon! Get your ass over here! You're taking them in. I'll ride with Cooper!" and then got out of the car and slammed the door behind him hard enough to make the car shake slightly on its base.

Unable to hold it in any longer, Michael laughed and Liz shot him a grin as he did.

"You're crazy, Parker, you know that?"

She nodded.

"Yes, I am dimly aware of that fact. I'm pretty sure that I get it from my dad's side of the family," she said as the car started. "We've got this whole line of intellectuals who all have expunged criminal records."

He looked at her, certain that she was joking, but then saw the serious look on her face and said, "You're not kidding, are you?"

She shook her head.

"Nope. Not one bit. My dad was arrested three different times in high school for breaking into the university library in the middle of the night on holiday weekends to read books from the Rare Collections section," she said, giving him a wide grin and he shook his head in response.

Figures. A family full of egg heads _would_ have arrest records for something like that.

All too soon, they were at the precinct, and Officer Landon escorted them over to a pair of chairs on the wall and sat both of them down, undoing one cuff so he could attach it to the arm of the chair.

_Side by side  
And locked in tight  
They were taking their time  
But we didn't mind_

He then said, "I'll be right back," and disappeared around the corner to file their arresting reports.

As soon the officer was gone, Michael turned to Liz and said, "Yeah, right. Last time I was here, it took them four _hours_ to get all of the paperwork in order. Now that _you're_ here, it'll probably take them twice as long."

She just let out a sigh and leaned back in her chair, lifting her free left hand and putting it over his cuffed right hand.

"So…we're stuck here, then?" He nodded. "Great," she huffed out, blowing a strand of hair from her face in the process. "I wonder how long it's gonna be before my _dad_ finds out that his 'good little girl' is stuck in the slammer."

Michael snorted and rolled his eyes.

"In the slammer? Really, Parker, you're just handcuffed to a chair. That's not exactly the same as prison."

She rolled her eyes, but gave him an affectionate look as she said, "Well, for _you_ maybe, but for me it's more than I ever expected to happen. Just…let me be a little dramatic, alright? For you this might be just another weekend night, but for me this is a whole new world."

He smiled.

"Fair enough, Parker. Fair enough."

They were silent for a few minutes, neither of them doing anything, saying anything, or even looking at each other, but then Liz moved her left hand back to her own chair, away from where it had been comfortably resting on his wrist, and said, "Let's thumb wrestle."

He raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

She rolled her eyes and repeated, "Let's thumb wrestle! We're gonna be a while, so we might as well do something to fill the time," she added, her left hand poised on her armrest, fist clenched, thumb all ready to go.

He simply nodded.

"Fine. Thumb wrestling, it is."

Ten rounds later, she emerged the victor, winning six out of the ten rounds, and he moved his hand with his now slightly aching thumb back over to his side.

_We talked  
And we laughed  
We sat real close_

"Okay, it's my turn for a game," Michael said, seeing that glint in her eye that was telling him that she was about to ask him to do it a second time. She rolled her eyes and then nodded, smiling to let him know that it was okay with her.

He thought for a minute…and then smiled.

"Twenty questions."

She frowned.

"Really?"

Quickly, he explained to her how his game was different from the original.

"Look, it's not just a regular twenty questions. In the way that _we're_ going to play it, whenever you ask a question, _both_ of you have to answer it, that way you can't use the same question later on as a cheat when you're running out of ideas for questions…deal?"

Liz nodded.

"Deal. So, who starts?"

Michael grinned.

"I do, of course, since I'm the one who came up with the idea." She groaned, but relented and gave him a nod, indicating that he should start. "Okay," he said, thinking of an easy first question. "I've got it…favorite color. What is it and why?"

At that, for no apparent reason, she blushed.

She stumbled for a moment and then said, "Gold. And not just any gold, but burnished gold. Like…like whiskey."

Liz stopped, and he pushed her, saying, "And _why…?_"

She started to say something, but then changed her mind and instead said, "Uh, no real reason, I guess." A pause. "What's yours?"

He didn't even have to think as he said, "Green."

She gave him a look, an eyebrow raised in skepticism at his all-too quick answer. "I'm guessing it's not grass green because of the fact that we have no _real_ grass in Roswell," she said with a wry smile and he returned her look and said, "No, not grass green. More like a sage green. And the reason why…honestly, I don't know. It just is."

She gave him a look, raising an eyebrow yet again, but he brushed it off, so she said, "Okay, my turn for a question?" He nodded. She deliberated for a moment, and then asked, "Who's your favorite band?"

He hesitated, and then said, "Pearl Jam."

Liz suddenly smiled.

"Well, there goes my answer," she said, a wry smile appearing on her lips and he shook his head and said, "Nice try, Parker. C'mon. Who's your _real_ favorite group?"

She shrugged, and then finally said, "Velvet Chain."

He looked at her surprise, not quite believing what she had just said, but when he saw the serious look in her eye, he knew that she was being serious and he smiled and shook his head, instinctively reaching up with his right hand to run his fingers through his hair, but then he winced when the metal cuff dug into his wrist, reminding him why he was sitting there in the first place.

"Velvet Chain? Really?"

She nodded.

"Yeah. They have this song called Strong that I really like. It's, uh, got this really cool sound to it. I can play it for you some time, if you want," she added, dropping her eyes from his, not really sure how he would take her invitation.

Michael nodded and said, "Yeah, sure. Fine with me."

Surprised that he'd said yes so easily, Liz brought her eyes back up to his and flashed him a wide a smile, pleased that he was willing to spend more time with her outside of hanging out with everyone else, completely unaware of the effect that her smile had on him.

And then he added, "Only if you're willing to listen to some Pearl Jam."

She let out a fake groan and said, in a voice that told him that she was messing with him, "If I _have_ to, Guerin."

He smiled at that, and they continued their game. They both became so engrossed in asking each other questions, that they were soon beyond the twenty question limit, and they were unaware of the fact that several of the cops in the station were now smiling at them, all of them seeing something that they'd never seen before.

Two teenagers who claimed to be just friends, inadvertently flirting with each other while handcuffed to chairs in a police station. The Deputy Sheriff watched them with a wry grin on his face, trying not to laugh out loud as Guerin asked the girl what her favorite restaurant in Roswell was, as he could see straight through the kid's casual question and could see the boy silently calculating in his head how much it would cost to take the Parker girl there.

Teenagers. Boy was he glad that he wasn't one anymore.

Sheriff Valenti walked out into the bullpen from his office and sidled up next to him and said, "Okay, Anderson, who did you get tonight?"

"Two teenagers trespassing on government property, down at the Roswell Airport," Deputy Anderson said. "Second offense for Guerin being at the airport, but it's a first-ever offense for his unwitting female partner in crime, who also has the charge of resisting arrest, as well."

He smiled when he saw Valenti look over at the two chairs, his eyes going wide when he saw who was sitting next to Michael Guerin, handcuffed to a chair just like he was, and he said, "Liz Parker? What is she doing out with Michael Guerin on a Friday night?"

Anderson shrugged.

"Beats me. Why don't you go ask her?"

Valenti gave him a nod.

"Yeah, I think I will," he said, and then walked over to the two delinquents, taking off his hat and gripping it tightly in his right hand.

Anderson chuckled under his breath.

* * *

**Part 4/?**


	5. Chapter 5

**5**

Liz looked up when she felt a shadow fall over her and Michael, and nervously swallowed when she saw who it was. Sheriff Valenti. God. She hoped against hope that he hadn't yet called her father.

"Hi, Sheriff," she said meekly, not quite able to meet his eyes, knowing that he was most likely wondering what the hell she was doing out with Michael on a Friday night.

"Hello, Liz," he said cordially, and then he looked at Michael and said, "Hello, Michael. Not surprised to see _you_ here, but I am wondering how Miss Parker came to be your companion on your illegal outing tonight. Care to explain?"

Michael snorted and raised his free hand in defense.

"Hey, don't look at me! I told Liz that I was going to be breaking the law tonight; she willingly came along."

It was obvious Valenti was dubious about his statement, so he looked back to Liz, worrying the brim of his hat between his hands, giving her an ever-scrutinizing look, and she felt her face flush red, mortified at the situation that she was in.

"Is this true, Miss Parker?"

Biting her lip, she nodded, keeping her eyes focused on the toes of her boots, unable to look him in the eye.

The Sheriff let out a long sigh, and she could feel the disappointment in his gaze that was unwaveringly directed at her. After a long moment, she lifted her eyes and saw the look on his face, and she realized that he was waiting for an explanation.

Finally, after deciding that she had no real explanation for her actions, she said, "We were just watching planes take off…is that really a huge crime?"

Michael snorted and she elbowed him in the ribs, and after a few long seconds Valenti said, "Well, it sorta is when you're trespassing on government property in order to do so, Liz. Now, I haven't called your dad yet, but I'm going to have to. You're still under eighteen and you're going to need his signature to get out of here."

She felt a protest come to her lips, but he cut her off before she could say a word.

"Michael is emancipated and knows the consequences of his actions because this is not his first offense, but _you_, on the other hand, have never had a mark on your record. This will be your first, and I thought that it would be fair if your father decided on the consequences. Understood?"

Liz meekly nodded; all of the fire that had built up in what she thought was righteous anger quickly doused by his harsh, but fair words.

He then said, "And about the resisting arrest charge…how about we overlook it for right now? I suspect that your dad will have his hands full with just the fact that you were arrested while out with someone that he trusted to keep you safe." This last part was added with a pointed look in Michael's direction, causing him to sink a bit deeper in his seat, he, too, now averting his eyes from the Sheriff.

"Okay, then," he said, putting his hat back on his head, walking over to the phone on the wall.

Liz felt her heart sink to her toes.

Michael nudged her with his shoulder, catching her attention, and said, "Hey, it's okay, Liz. Your dad seems like a pretty fair guy to me."_  
_

She groaned and looked over at him, rolling her eyes in the process, and replied with, "It's obvious that you don't know my dad, Michael. _This_ was one of the exceptions to his rules. Remember? So long as I don't come home drunk, or that he _doesn't have to bail me out of jail_. I am _so _grounded! Probably until I'm thirty, or until I get married, whichever comes first," she added, looking completely upset.

He gave her a look and then said, "Well…if you want, you can blame me. Tell him that I told you we were going for ice cream and then changed my mind without telling you and drove out to the airport, making you my unwitting victim to a night of reckless endangerment."

She snorted.

"I didn't know you could be so eloquent, Michael, but no. It's not going to work. I just told the Sheriff that I knew what I was getting into, and you know that he's going to put that into the report. Let's just face the facts. I'm fucked."

He looked at her in shock, not quite believing that she had just said the word that she had just said.

"Did you just…?"

She gave him another look.

"Oh, please. Like I don't know how to curse? Besides, I don't think 'screwed' was a strong enough word for the situation," she said, giving him another look with a slight roll of her eyes, and, for some inexplicable reason, he found the look endearing.

God, what was wrong with him? One night out with Liz was more fun than a whole week's worth of dates with Maria. Liz was open, but not a pushover, one of the things that made her so similar to Maria, but what made her different from her was the fact that she didn't overreact to the smallest of problems. Okay, so getting arrested wasn't a small problem, and the whole scene that she'd made at the truck, resisting arrest, wasn't exactly an _under-_reaction.

She was, there was no other word for it, pouting in her chair, sinking back into it. Well, as much as you could into a hard-backed wooden chair, and he couldn't help but stare at her, his eyes taking in every inch of her profile.

How had he not seen it before?

Liz Parker was a science geek and serious, sure, but she was also fun and had a sarcastic sense of humor to rival his, and that was no easy task. She was a good girl, but she had a wild side that was hidden underneath her sensible, green jacket and practical tennis shoes that was made of leather jackets and knee high boots.

She was Liz, the sweet daddy's little girl; and she was Parker, the unpredictable rebel-wannabe.

Michael was suddenly startled from his reverie by the sound of footsteps right in front of them, and he looked up to see Deputy Anderson standing in front of him, a key ring in his hand, one key in a ready position between his forefinger and thumb.

"Against my better judgment, you're free to go, Mister Guerin," he said, as he reached down and unlocked his cuffs.

Michael gave a smug grin and said, "Valenti said to let me go, didn't he?"

Anderson didn't reply and Michael continued to grin like an idiot, but then stopped when he realized that Anderson was walking away, not even bothering to let Liz go.

"Hey," he said, standing up, putting a hand on the Deputy's shoulder. "What about Liz?"

This time, the older blonde man was the one to have a smug grin on his face as he said, "Oh, the Sheriff said that she's gonna stay here until her father gets here…sorry, 'bout that." And with that, he tipped his hat at him and walked back to his desk, whistling, while Michael silently fumed.

He turned back to Liz and said, "They can't do that! Even if you have to wait for him, it's not as though you're a flight risk!"

She arched an eyebrow at him and replied, "Uh, Michael…after the whole fiasco with me trying to run away from them while I was being cuffed, do you _really_ think they're going to risk it?"

He let out a frustrated sigh.

"But…that was under extenuating circumstances! I mean, you wouldn't try and do that _now_, especially since you're in a police station full of cops," he said, absently dropping his hands to his hips from where they'd been waving in the air, gesturing wildly as he'd protested.

She smiled, not quite able to believe that Michael Guerin was coming to her defense…and also unable to believe that he was being let go, while she was being left cuffed to a chair.

"Michael," she said, trying to calm him down, "If you're that upset by it, why don't you take it up with Valenti? I'm sure that he'd understand."

He shook his head, his whiskey colored eyes flashing dangerously, and instead of trying to find the Sheriff, he sat back down in the chair that he'd been chained to, and then said, "No. I'm going to stay right here until your dad gets here. You shouldn't have to face him alone."

At hearing that, she smiled.

"Thanks, Michael…"

He tossed her a sideways look and shrugged.

"No big deal," he said simply, and they let it go at that.

Sooner than he expected, but just as quickly as Liz had expected, Mr. Parker was walking through the front door of the precinct, looking more than a little angry. Anderson came over and un-cuffed her the minute he saw her father walk through the door, and when she stood up, she slid her hands awkwardly into her back pockets, her eyes locking on the floor.

"Uh…hey, dad…"

He looked at her, the angry look fading to one of disappointment at seeing his daughter's face.

"Liz…there were only _two_ rules that I had," he started, and even Michael felt some shame, knowing that she had told him her father's rules and that he'd knowingly put her at risk of breaking one of the rules. "One, don't come home drunk. And two, don't make me spring for bail money to get you home…"

There was a long silence.

Finally, unable to take it anymore, Michael said, "Mr. Parker, it was my fault, I just thought that Liz-"

"Michael," he said, putting up a hand and cutting him off, "It's not your fault, and I wasn't finished." He turned his gaze back on his daughter and then smiled as he said, "You broke neither of those rules." Her eyes snapped up to her dad's and she looked at him in total shock as he finished by saying, "I didn't have to post any bail money to get you out. Jim told me how the two of you were simply watching the planes take off at the airport and said that it wasn't really a crime, so he was willing to overlook it, so long as I came down and picked you up…"

Liz could barely believe what she was hearing, but she was beyond thrilled…and then her father said, "…and grounded you for the next week."

She let out a long sigh, and then said, "Well, I guess I had that one coming."

He grinned and let out a small laugh and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, giving her a warm hug, and he looked over at Michael and said, "I'll talk to you later, Michael. For now, I suggest you go home and get some rest. You've got a double shift tomorrow, after all."

Michael looked confused.

"What? No I don't, I just have an afternoon…" His voice faded as he realized what Mr. Parker was implying. "Six a.m., right?" He nodded. "For how long, sir?"

"Oh, I don't know," Liz's father replied. "As long as it takes for the message to sink in." He looked down at his daughter. "Same goes for you, sweet pea. Understood?"

Liz nodded.

"Loud and clear, dad."

"Good."

And with that, they went to their vehicles, Liz giving Michael a hug goodbye before he got in his truck and drove off, not noticing the look that her father gave the two of them from the driver's seat of his car.

No…he truly didn't mind, he thought to himself. Yes, the Guerin boy had his faults, but he was certainly more reliable than the Evans boy. And he knew that Michael would always try to keep his daughter safe.

As Liz slid into the passenger's side of her car she noticed an enigmatic smile on the corner of his mouth and said, "Dad? What are you smiling about?"

He shook his head.

"Nothing, honey. Let's go home, okay?"

She nodded.

"Okay. I think one night of delinquency is enough for me," she added, and Mr. Parker just shook his head, having the faint feeling that it wasn't going to be the last time that something like this happened, but not too upset about the future times, knowing that Michael was going to be with her.

Yes, his daughter had made a good choice, whether or not she'd even realized that she'd made one.

He was a good choice.

* * *

**Part 5/?**


	6. Chapter 6

**6**

"Order for table six!" Michael said, slipping the plate onto the counter and a second later a harried Liz grabbed it and took it over to the table, grumbling under her breath the whole time, while Michael gave her a commiserating look, sharing in her pain as she found Maria at her side once more while they bused the tables.

"You got _arrested?_" Maria said, yet again, in an unnaturally high-pitched voice, and Liz winced.

"Yes, Maria, for the third time, we got arrested. I mean, c'mon, we _were_ trespassing," she said, trying to not make a scene at the table that she was serving, quickly taking their drink orders in an attempt to keep her friend at bay, but to no avail.

The instant she was alone over at the soda fountain, Maria began to hound her with questions once more.

"Did Michael talk you into it? Did it go on your permanent record? Was your dad, like, royally pissed off that he had to post bail for you?"

"No, no, and to answer your third question, _again_, he _didn't_ post bail for me because I was never actually _in_ jail, I was only arrested and handcuffed to a chair. Not exactly the same thing as prison, Maria," she said, rolling her eyes, filling up one of the sodas.

Her friend waved her off, saying, "Still, you were _arrested!_ That's, you know, kind of like a big deal!"

Liz gave her a look as she filled up two more drinks.

"Don't you have tables to serve?"

Maria waved her hand in the air once more.

"No, this is more important. Now…what's your punishment? I mean, I know your dad and if I'm right, and I know I'm right, he probably hit the roof and grounded you, for like, thirty years, am I right?"

Putting the drinks onto the tray, she said, "No, actually, I'm only grounded for a week, and have to pull double shifts for about three days next week after school. Michael's getting the same treatment, as well, pulling the double shifts right along with me."

Maria gave her a look and said, "That's it? Grounded for a week and double shifts? If _I _was arrested, my mom would ground me for at _least_ two months, take away any and all tv privileges and, to top it off, cut off all of my allowance for those two months and for one month afterwards!"

Liz tried to hide a smile, but failed as she replied, "Well, that's because my dad is less high-strung than your mom."

And with that, she made her way over to the table and gave them their drinks, trying to not grin as she heard Maria groaning as she rushed over to another table to quickly, and somewhat abruptly, take their order.

The bell on the door jingled, and she turned to greet the customers…and held back her groan.

It was Max, Isabel, Alex, and Kyle.

She had no doubt in her mind that Kyle had found out by now about her and Michael's arrest, so she resigned herself to the fact that she was going to have to talk to them about what had happened.

"Hi, guys," she said. "Take a table."

Kyle smirked at her as he followed everyone else to the booth, and she inwardly groaned. Great. She was going to get the Spanish Inquisition from them, she just knew it.

Liz put it off for as long as she could, taking orders from as many other customers as possible before going over to their booth, dread filling her as she approached them, knowing that any second now they were going to be firing questions at her.

Kyle, of course, was the first one to start in on her.

"So, Liz…what'd you do last night?"

She glared at him, rolling her eyes.

Her hand perched on the booth behind his head, and she lifted it and lightly tapped him on the back of his head and said, "Okay, mister-sheriff's-son, quit with the whole cat-who-ate-the-canary grin. Yes, I got arrested, but no, no charges were actually filed against me. It was a first offense, and the _only_ time that it's ever going to happen."

He just continued to grin, and at first she was confused, but then when Alex said, "You got _arrested?_" sounding completely shocked, she realized that Kyle hadn't said a word to anyone else, and had just let her make a complete fool out of herself…and she was ready to kill him, but decided against it when Isabel gave her a smirk and a nod in her direction and said, "Michael was with you wasn't he? Is he the reason you got arrested in the first place?"

Liz glanced over at Michael, who was distracted as he cooked up several orders, and she bit her lip, unsure if she should be the one to sell him out.

Max followed her look, and said, "Hey, if you don't want to talk about it, that's fine. We understand…"

She gave him a faint smile, but finally shook her head and replied, "No. It's not a huge deal, really. We were watching the planes take off down at Roswell Airport. _Technically_, we were trespassing on government property, so we got taken in to the precinct, but no jail time was served, just some quality time handcuffed to a chair."

At that, Isabel snorted and then said, "A position that I'm certain Michael is fairly familiar with."

Liz gave her a look, and she relented, but this time Kyle spoke back up and said, "Dad also might have mentioned something about resisting arrest?"

Max, not catching on, said, "Of course Michael would resist arrest. This is Michael that we're talking about," and then, of course, Liz came to his defense, saying, "He meant _me_, Max. I was the one who resisted arrest. If anything, Michael was _more_ than willing to get arrested," she added, while Max looked on in shock at her words.

Now, three out of four of them looked at her in surprise. Alex was the one exception.

Isabel, the one who was sitting across from him, gave him a look, an eyebrow raised, and said, "You're telling me that you're not surprised that your best friend tried to resist arrest?"

Alex gave all of them a look, obviously smug.

"Unlike the rest of you, I've been friends with her for years, and I've seen a few sides to her that not everyone knows about, so, yeah, I'm not surprised that she tried to take off." He looked up at her and added, "Besides, knowing you, Liz, you were probably in your full-out panic mode, the one that makes you a bit, well, you know," he said, whistling and pointing a finger at his head, indicating crazy.

She felt her face flush red and she gave a small nod.

"Yeah, I was…a little bit…"

She then heard a voice say at her ear, "A little bit? I wouldn't call trying to break out of the cuffs and making a run for it a _little_ reaction, Parker…"

Her eyes snapped up. It was Michael.

"Aren't you supposed to be grilling?" she said dryly, as though completely unsurprised, though inside her heart was still racing…and not entirely because he'd startled her. He was standing a bit closer than he normally would, his front brushing against her back, and she tried to hide her reaction to him.

Max looked at her and let out a small laugh of incredulity.

"_You_ tried to break out of the cuffs and make a run for it?"

"Yeah, she even got her feet up on the car," Michael added, but then Kyle said, "Liz Parker trying to run from the cops…never thought I'd see the day."

She couldn't meet anyone's gaze, but Michael spoke for both of them, while he was speaking, absently placing the fingers of his right hand discreetly in the small of her back, trying to keep her calm, and she felt her anger, which had been slowly building during the conversation, dissipate at his touch.

"Yeah, but you can't really blame her, can you? Having something like that on her resume into Harvard probably wouldn't be the best thing in the world, so she obviously tried to make a break for it…she even suggested when the cops were pulling up that we should make a run for it," he added, and she turned her glare on him.

"Excuse me? If you hadn't lost your keys under the truck, we wouldn't have gotten _caught…_"

He looked at her, not quite believing what she was saying.

"If you hadn't hit me on the shoulder, I wouldn't have dropped my keys, Parker! And, oh, who, by the way, was perfectly compliant with the cops when they showed up? Who was the one who told you to simply go quietly and just follow what they asked us to do? And who, by the way, stayed with you even after they let me go? Who tried to take the heat from you when your dad showed up, ready to deal out punishment?"

She bit her lip and gave him a contrite look and said, "Sorry…you're right."

At this, he gave a small smile and replied with, "Well, it happens _some_times."

Isabel was the first one to pick up on the new rapport between the two, and she hid a small smile, realizing what must have transpired. It was obvious to _her_ that Michael was flirting with Liz…and Liz was responding to it, their body language saying more than their mouths were. And she found that she was entirely okay with that. They seemed to fit together, like opposite sides of the same coin.

"So, what's your punishment?" asked Max, folding his arms in front of him on the table and she turned her gaze back to the group.

"Well, dad has me grounded for the next week, and Michael and I are both pulling double shifts after school three times next week." She then looked up at Michael and said, "Which reminds me; do you want to pull some study sessions in order to get through some of the homework on those nights? Two brains are better than one."

At that, Kyle snorted and said, "Still more like one brain," but stopped when Liz glared at him and kicked him in the shin.

Michael nodded, trying not to grin as he saw Kyle grimace and rub his leg.

"Yeah, sounds good." He then motioned towards the kitchen and said, "I better get back on the grill before your dad decides to dice me into tiny little pieces and add me to the menu," and with that, he left.

Not realizing what she was doing, her eyes trailed after him for a moment, and then she turned her attention back on her friends. However, she didn't notice Kyle's eyes following her look, and she absently said, "Yeah…I should probably get back to work, too. Dad will _kill_ me if I start slacking off. See you guys later?"

They all nodded.

"Yeah. Later," said Alex, and she flashed them all a half-hearted smile and went back to busing tables.

* * *

**Part 6/?**


	7. Chapter 7

**7**

Just as the new waitress, Elaine, delivered Alex's French fries, Kyle leaned in and said in a conspiratorial whisper, "Please tell me that I wasn't the only one to see what was going on between them."

Both Isabel and Alex smiled, and Is replied, "No, you weren't the only one, Kyle. Looks like their night on the town made them realize that they have more in common than they knew. And hey, who knows, maybe they'll _do_ something about it."

Max looked at all of them, confused, and said, "Wait, what? Liz and Michael? C'mon, they would be at each other's throats all the time!"

Kyle kicked him in the shin and motioned his head towards the kitchen, so Max turned and looked…and was shocked by what he saw.

Liz was talking to Michael, leaning against the counter, her head tilted flirtatiously as she laughed at something that he'd just said, and Michael was actually smiling. Smiling! Not a smug grin or a sarcastic look on his face, but a real, actual smile.

Max turned his head back to the group.

"I stand corrected," he muttered and Isabel laughed and nudged his shoulder with her own, saying, "Hey, don't be so upset by it. Whatever happened between them was good."

He nodded, and then said, "Yeah, I guess it was."

Alex now spoke up, saying, "What about Maria? Won't she be, you know, a bit upset by the fact that her best friend is stealing her boyfriend?"

Isabel looked across at him, raising an eyebrow, and then said, "You obviously don't understand Michael very well, Alex. He's never actually been her boyfriend, he's only let Maria live under the _delusion_ that he's her boyfriend in order to keep her happy, when the truth is he only has as much interest in her as much as he has interest in sea anemones. Which, in case you weren't aware of it, is not much interest at all." She looked back at the teenager that she considered to be her second brother, and then added, "Besides, have you _seen_ the way he looks at Liz? For once in his life, it looks as though he's actually _listening_ to someone talking to him…"

Kyle chuckled and said, "Yeah, like there's actually a brain underneath all of that hair," and he felt himself get kicked in the shin a second time, this time by Isabel. "Hey? What was that for?" he asked in a somewhat whiny tone, as he reached down and rubbed his leg, yet again, trying to ease the pain.

She glared at him.

"Could you try to _not_ insult his intelligence? He's actually pretty smart, he's just easily bored with the classes."

Kyle rolled his eyes.

"You could have fooled me," he said, and then pulled his leg out of the way before Is could nail him a second time. He glared at her and said, "Hey, enough with the abuse! I already got it from Liz, and now you, too? C'mon, I have to get my amusement from _some_where! Michael's the only one who can take it and dish out just as well, unlike the rest of you guys," he added, giving them all a pointed look, and Is relented.

"Fine. No more kicking."

He glared.

"And…?"

"No more abuse of any kind," she added, rolling her eyes slightly, and Kyle carefully situated his legs back under the table, Max giving him an amused grin as he did.

Max then looked back over his shoulder, briefly, to glance at Liz and Michael as they worked, and he could now see a bit more what Isabel had been talking about when she said that Michael looked like he was actually listening to someone for once in his life.

He made eye contact with her and didn't seem uncomfortable about it and Liz, too, seemed comfortable with the give and take of their conversation. Max turned back to the group and reached across the table to grab a French fry from Alex's plate, turning the thoughts over in his mind, comparing how she had acted with him just before they had started dating as to how she was now acting with Michael, not hearing the rest of the group's conversation around him.

With Max, she had seemed slightly awkward and out of sorts, tripping over her words every single time she talked to him, but with Michael her flirting seemed to come almost effortlessly, like it was natural and that she'd done it a thousand times before…but, now that he thought about it, she _had_ done it a thousand times before.

It was how she and Michael had always interacted.

There was always a slight edge to their conversations, perpetually leaning towards the sarcasm that the two of them were so good at, but never truly mean or biting, along with eye rolls that hid carefully hidden smiles of amusement at the other's words, and they were constantly in each other's personal space.

Liz had always been careful around Max, unsure of whether or not she should touch him, but with Michael she could put a hand on his arm to calm him down or playfully shove his shoulder while having a conversation; he had seen her do it countless times. It was obvious that she didn't gave a second thought as to her actions with him, almost as though she knew that they weren't unwelcome and that it was okay for her to be so demonstrative with him.

So, it made sense.

He looked back over his shoulder and bit back a grin as he saw Maria attempting to flirt with Michael over the counter, while Liz glared daggers at her back, probably completely unaware of her reaction.

Liz made her way back to their table, her notepad in her hand and said, "Okay, what can I get the rest of you?"

"Uh, Liz," Max said, slightly confused, "Isn't this Elaine's table?"

She gave him a _look._

"It _was_ her table. Now, it's mine. Now, your order?"

He and Kyle shared a glance across the table, both of them knowing the reason for her agitation, and he shared a side glance with his sister, and then said, "Okay, sure. I'll have the Will Smith Burger and a Galaxy Shake. Is?"

"Just a shake."

Liz nodded, wrote it down, and then looked at the other two, saw Alex with his fries, and then looked at Kyle.

"Okay, Valenti. What'll it be?"

He waited a moment, pretending to look over the menu, and then said, with a wide grin across his lips, "How about an appetizer of resentment, followed by a main course of jealousy, topped off with a thick shake of just-ask-him-out?"

She glared at him…and then hit him on the back of the head with the pad of paper in her hand.

"Valenti, how I about I just go ahead and give you an extra-large order of it's-none-of-your-damn-business?" Kyle looked like he was about to spit out a witty retort, but Liz beat him to it, cutting him off as she said, "And I can top it off with an extra-painful side of more-head-slaps."

He relented with the jokes, but then grabbed her arm as she was about to walk away and said, "Liz…c'mon, already. You guys like each other. One of you has to make the first move and it sure as hell isn't going to be _him_."

Max was certain she was going head slap him again…but was surprised when her hardened resolve weakened and she said, "What if he says no?"

At this, Is snorted and replied with, "Trust me, Liz. He'll say yes."

"Are you sure?"

At this point, Alex chimed in, putting in his two cents as he added, "I think we've _all_ seen how he's been looking at you when you're not paying attention. Go for it, Liz. Do you really have anything to lose?"

She gave him a sad smile.

"Yeah…a really great friendship."

Max finally spoke up, knowing that she needed someone else telling her that it was the right move.

"Liz…" She looked over at him, surprised, so he continued. "Go for it. I'm with the three of them on this one. He'll say yes."

She groaned, but he gave her a look, as did everyone else at the table, and he watched as she collected herself and then walked back over to the kitchen window, placing the orders on the rotating metal contraption and then the four of them watched as she leaned in and started to say something, but then they all saw as he cut her off, and they held their breath in unison, all four them waiting to see what was going to happen.

Suddenly, a broad smile crossed her face and she nodded…and Is smiled and said, "He asked first."

"Who asked first?" said Maria, who had suddenly appeared at their table, her order pad dangling uselessly from her fingers as she leaned up against the edge of the booth behind Kyle.

Their eyes all snapped up to her, unsure of what to say, and then she surprised them all by saying, "Oh c'mon…I'm not _that_ blind. Why do you think that I made myself scarce last night? I had a hunch Liz would try to make him feel better," she added, and then grinned.

Alex looked over at her and said, "Michael asked first."

She smiled again.

"Good for him. Knew he had a backbone in there somewhere."

At this, they all grinned.

At least _some_one in the group was getting their relationship right. Finally. And it took the two of them getting arrested for it to happen. Figured.

* * *

**Part 7/8**

**A.N. - Only one more chapter! And it's really just an epilogue to wrap things up all nice and tidy. Hope you enjoy it! I've really enjoyed writing it! :)**


	8. EPILOGUE

**EPILOGUE**

"Michael, where are you taking me?" Liz asked impatiently, wondering why the heck he'd insisted that she wear a blindfold in the truck. She felt more than a little ridiculous, and was hoping that he wasn't pulling one of his elaborate pranks on her. The last one that he'd pulled on her had been right after David and Brendan were born and it had been the last time that he'd ever tried to do something like that to her, she had made _sure_ of it.

"It's a surprise," he said, and she groaned in frustration as she could hear the faint teasing in his tone, and he added, "A _good_ surprise, Liz. I promise."

She let out a sigh and nodded.

"Fine, but if I don't like it, then we go back home. I don't trust Maria to keep David and Brendan under control for very long, let alone Kate."

Their precocious seven-year-old daughter had her father's sense of adventure combined with her mother's appetite for books, which made her more than a bit of a handful if she got an idea in her head from one of her adventure stories, and Liz was fairly certain that she would get a frantic and panicked call from her friend, saying that Kate had disappeared, when in all actuality she was most likely hiding somewhere in the house.

David and Brendan, their four-year-old twins, were much quieter than Kate, with their mother's calm disposition, but they had their father's sneaky side and could chaos even when being completely quiet.

Michael chuckled at that and then said, "Fair enough, Liz. But I don't think you have to worry; Isabel said she was going to stop by and give Maria a hand in about twenty minutes."

Liz turned her head towards him and said, "Exactly _how_ long are we going to be gone, Mister Guerin?"

He chuckled and then she felt the truck roll to a stop.

"We're here," he said as she heard him open the door, close it, and then after a moment heard her own door open. She let him help her down and out of the cab, still keeping the blindfold on her, and then let herself be lead to the back of the truck.

He then lifted her by the waist and put her so that she was sitting on the open tailgate.

Suddenly, she felt a massive vibration rattle the back of the truck and then smiled as he took the blindfold off of her.

Without even looking at him, she lay down in the metal bed and smiled as she saw the lights of another plane coming into the airport off in the distance. He'd taken her to the airport. But why he'd brought her here, she wasn't entirely sure.

After a moment, Michael hoisted himself up into the back of the truck and laid down next her, reaching down his hand and entwining his fingers with hers, pressing his leg firmly next to hers, and she could feel his warmth even through the layers of both of their jeans. They lay there for several long minutes, neither of them saying anything, simply enjoying the planes taking off overhead, and Liz smiled to herself.

Finally, she pulled her fingers from his and rolled over on her side, propping herself up on her right arm, reaching out with her free hand to absently trace circles on his chest.

She then asked, "So…what's with bringing me out here?"

He looked up at her and smiled.

"Well...it's our anniversary."

She looked at him, confused.

"Michael, we got married in the winter, or do you not remember? In case you didn't realize, it's August."

He looked back at her, a small, enigmatic grin appearing on his lips, and she was left with the feeling that she was missing something, and it bothered her. He knew something that she didn't and it nagged at her, and so she said, "Just tell me, already."

He heard her tone and nodded.

"Okay, fine," he said, giving her a wide smile. "The first time we came out here, it was on this day…thirteen years ago. Exactly." He then glanced at his watch and added, "Same time, even."

Liz looked at him in shock, sitting up in the bed of the truck, not quite believing that he'd remembered the exact date that they'd had their first, well, _date_ wasn't exactly the word for it, but the first time that they'd ever spent time alone outside of the group.

She shook her head as she said, "You remember the exact date?"

He sat up as well and turned himself to face her, reaching out a hand to brush the hair back from her face.

"How could I forget? It was the first time that I fell in love with you…"

Her breath caught in her throat, and, unable to find any words, she simply leaned in and captured his lips in an ardent kiss. For a moment, he let her take the lead, but then he leaned in, sliding his fingers deeper into her hair and took over the kiss, and before she knew what was happening, she was on her back in the bed of the truck, her husband stretched out over her, and her mind was reeling.

Who knew that he could be such a romantic?

She knew that he could be sweet, but this was beyond amazing, and as he continued to kiss her, she silently marveled at the fact that she was married to such an amazing man, and that they had been married for nine years, soon to be ten that winter.

Just as things were heating up, she heard sirens.

Liz pulled back from the kiss and gave Michael a look, one eyebrow raised.

"Did you…?"

He shrugged.

"I'll never tell," he said enigmatically, and she grinned at him, and then said, "So, should we make a break for it?"

He shook his head.

"Nah, I like seeing you in cuffs," he replied, and she blushed at his words, and then grinned like an idiot when she heard one of the officers get out of their car and yell, "Step out of the truck and put your hands on the car where we can see them!"

She smiled as got out of the bed of the truck and then did as they'd asked, continuing to grin like an idiot when she saw who was cuffing Michael.

"So, Mister Guerin…what are you doing out here?"

Michael grinned as he said, "Oh, nothing much Deputy Anderson. Just corrupting my wife."

The Deputy attempted to hide a smile, but Liz could see the corner of his mouth twitch upwards, and so she let herself be handcuffed and put in the back of the cop car alongside her husband, wondering how the heck he'd planned the whole thing.

As soon as the Deputy closed the door, she leaned in and gave Michael a thorough kiss, and as she pulled back, she traced her tongue over his ear and whispered, "You don't look too bad in cuffs, either, mister…"

He gave her a smoldering look as she pulled away and she let out a small laugh, knowing that she was making him even more uncomfortable, and for a moment she felt like she was a teenager again, and she enjoyed it, knowing that the feeling was only going to last for a little while longer, but also knowing that for however long it was, it would be completely worth the time with her husband.

Back at the station, she was surprised when they were both handcuffed to the chairs near the entrance, exactly as they had been last time, and waited expectantly for someone to come over and let them out or to do something else…but nothing happened. The cops seemed to be filling out the paperwork, actually looking slightly put out at the fact that they were having to deal with two people who were obviously adults, trespassing on government property on a Friday night.

She turned her glare on Michael, and said, "Wait...you mean the cops arresting us _wasn't_ a part of your plan?"

He shook his head, he, too, looking upset by the whole situation.

"Nope. In fact, I was planning on _not_ getting caught this time. They weren't even supposed to be out on patrol tonight!"

Her good mood vanished and she groaned and said, "Great. Just great! Now, if Maria calls and wonders where we are, we're going to have to explain how you got the two of us arrested…again!"

He gave her a sad smile.

"Sorry, sweetheart. This wasn't exactly in _my_ plans, either."

They sat there for only a few minutes, before Sheriff Valenti walked in and came over and un-cuffed the both of them and then said, "If you could follow me, it'd be much appreciated. You're going to have to fill out a few forms yourself, explaining why you were trespassing."

Liz nodded, and the two of them followed him to a back room…

…and then stood there in shock when they found a table laden down with cake and food and several different kinds of drinks.

Suddenly, several voices shouted, "Happy Anniversary!"

They were frozen as Max approached them and pulled them both into hugs, and they soon realized that nearly all of their friends were there, including Maria and Isabel. At seeing the two of them, Liz snapped out of her shock and said, "What are you two doing here? Where's the twins? Where's Kate?"

Kyle stepped in, putting his hands on her shoulders and said, "With your parents for the evening. Don't worry, it's all taken care of…"

At hearing that, she breathed a bit easier, and then sank into her husband's side as he came up to stand beside her.

Michael looked at all of them and asked, "Okay, how did you guys know? I mean, I didn't tell anyone that we were going to the airport tonight, and no one knows the date except for me, so…"

At that, Max, Isabel, Kyle, and Maria all looked over at Alex and he gave them a sheepish smile and said, "I saw Michael's browser history about a week ago when I was installing updates on his computer and saw that he was checking on the patrols for this weekend, so I went to Valenti and asked him for the date of your guys' arrest when you were trespassing and I put two and two together. I told Max and he's the one who came up with the idea for the party. Do you mind?"

Liz shook her head and attacked him, hugging him tightly and whispered in his ear, "No, I don't mind at all…"

Michael walked over to Max and gave him a brief hug.

"Thanks, man," he said, pulling back and then turning to Isabel and giving her one as well. Soon, both he and Liz had hugged everyone in the room, and then Liz said, "Okay, now can we have some beer?"

Everyone laughed and Valenti came over and handed her one and said, "Drinks are on the Roswell Police Department. Enjoy it while you can!"

Liz smiled and then went back to her husband and said in his ear, "You're the best husband a girl could ask for, you know that?"

He gave her the smile that always put a little jelly in her knees and said, "Well, it takes a pretty amazing woman to put up with me, so I think we both got lucky."

He then leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to her lips, amazed at the fact that after all those years, she was still by his side, proud to be making a family with him, a family that he thought that he would never have.

Yeah…

He was pretty damn lucky.

* * *

**THE END!**

**A.N. - Special thanks to Keith Urban for the song that inspired this awesome story! I loved writing it, and my reviews helped me along so much! Lots of love also to everyone who read it! Don't know what I'd do without you. ;)**


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